Tom Kristensen - Audi interview on seventh Le Mans win

"I'm the happiest racer in the world"
Interview with Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen
The unique feeling of sitting in an Audi
Last Saturday at 4:01 p.m. and 35 seconds, the triumph was accomplished:
Tom Kristensen...

"I'm the happiest racer in the world"
Interview with Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen

The unique feeling of sitting in an Audi

Last Saturday at 4:01 p.m. and 35 seconds, the triumph was accomplished:
Tom Kristensen in his Audi R8 crosses the finish line at Le Mans as the
victor, thus writing another chapter in the annals of motorsport history.
No other driver before him has managed to win what is arguably the
world's most famous race seven times. Changing from the sportscar to the
Audi A4 DTM was obviously not very difficult for the 37-year-old Dane.
Merely a week after the victory at Le Mans, he will be starting from the
pole position for the first time in his DTM career at Oschersleben. Tom
Kristensen comments on his achievements, goals and very special
congratulations in the following interview.

Crossing the finish line in front of a crowd of 230,000 at Le Mans, your
seventh victory, your new record -- what were the thoughts that entered
your mind?

Tom Kristensen: "I was -- and still am -- the happiest racer in the
world. For me, a dream has come true, and in a relatively short period of
time at that: I contested Le Mans nine times, I finished seven times, and
each time I won. Clearly, the major credit for these exploits goes to the
Audi R8, the car in which I won five events together with different
team-mates in each of these races."

Has this triumph changed you?

Tom Kristensen: "Never in my life have I been as relaxed as I am now, and
I have a feeling as though I no longer need to prove anything to anybody.
Of course, that's not true because racing continues again as early as
this weekend -- nevertheless, I'd somehow like to hold on to this
feeling for the rest of my life. I think that in future I'll be able to
relish exploits even more than before."

What did you do the days after Le Mans?

Tom Kristensen: "Audi Denmark and Jyske Bank -- one of our sponsors --
invited my entire family and myself to Copenhagen for two days. Together
with my wife, Hanne, and my children, Carla and Oliver, I stayed at a
suite in Denmark's most expensive hotel and had a few PR appearances at
the Tivoli."

How was the response to your victory?

Tom Kristensen: "Incredible, and much greater and warmer than I had
imagined. I received roughly 150 e-mails and more than 200 SMS messages
-- and I still haven't had the time to answer them all. On the website
of one of Denmark's leading newspapers, readers cast votes in favour of
our victory as the greatest Danish sporting exploit -- even ranking ahead
of the European Championship win of our footballers in 1992. That made me
very happy. By the way, I think our opponent in the final match at that
time was Germany--"

And who was the first person to express congratulations?

Tom Kristensen: "That was Jacky Ickx. He left a voice mail message for me
at 3.53 p.m., in other words, a few laps before the finish, saying: 'I
know that you're sitting in the car, because I'm watching you on
television right now.' Then he congratulated me and, with a smile, said
that at least he was now the only racer again with six Le Mans victories
to his credit. Jacky Ickx is a great individual and ambassador of motor
racing. He will always remain the true 'Mr Le Mans'."

How difficult is the change from the R8 to the Audi A4 DTM now?

Tom Kristensen: "Of course, these are two completely different cars. But
I'm not changing from sports to touring cars for the first time. And
it's being made very easy for me: when you grab the wheel and put your
foot on the accelerator pedal, either car makes you realise immediately
that you're sitting in an Audi."